Magisterial probe ordered into Delhi school kid's rape (Lead)

New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the rape of a five-year-old girl inside a school here and asked for a report to be submitted by Tuesday.

He also said that a protocol will be formulated for all schools to ensure the safety of students.

The move comes a day after the crime took place in an east Delhi school and a peon was arrested in connection with it.

“The magisterial inquiry is being headed by Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vivek Vihar into the sexual assault by the school’s staffer inside the school in east Delhi’s Raghuwarpura near Gandhi Nagar, and its report is to be submitted within three days,” a senior officer of the Delhi government said.

Expressing her concern over the incident, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Jaihind echoed Kejriwal’s views and termed the move to chalk out protocol for schools a “very crucial step” to ensure safety of students.

Taking suo moto cognizance of the incident, the DCW Chairperson issued notice to the school and sought the list of male staff or contract workers (teaching and non-teaching) in the school, along with their designations, who have access to girl students.

The DCW in the notice also asked about the steps taken by the school to ensure safety of the children within the premises and also demanded from the school a copy of the CCTV footage of the entire day of the incident.

The incident came to light on Saturday around 3 p.m. when the child complained of pain in her abdomen. Her mother noticed bleeding in her private parts while taking her to the washroom.

“The accused, identified as Vikas, 40, who works as a peon, was arrested for sexually assaulting the five-year-old girl in an empty classroom,” a senior police officer said.

“He was arrested from near his residence in Raghuwarpura after the victim gave his description to the police during a counselling session,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Nupur Prasad said: “The incident occurred on Saturday around 11 a.m. at the Tagore Public School in Shahdara after school hours. The girl did not leave as she was waiting to take her half-an-hour extra class.”

The accused has been working in the school for the past three years. He earlier worked in two other schools, said Prasad.

The police said a medical test confirmed sexual assault. Vikas has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Meanwhile, the girl’s grandfather alleged that police misbehaved with them when the minor was taken to Chacha Nehru Hospital. He also said that initially the doctors did not take this case seriously and only admitted the girl around 8.30 p.m. on Saturday.

“The child is still in trauma and terrified since the crime happened with her as Vikas threatened her with dire consequences,” the girl’s grandfather told IANS.

“He was inebriated at the time of committing the crime and also at the time of his arrest. The girl was later shifted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital from where she was discharged on Sunday morning,” he added.